An international research team has captured a rare phenomenon they describe as “shaking the universe,” occurring 290 light-years away from Earth.
Despite its distance, the shock waves from the event have released an immense amount of energy into space. If we were to convert this phenomenon into a sound audible to the human ear, it would resemble the sonic boom of a fighter jet echoing nearby.
This phenomenon is caused by five ancient cosmic giants consuming each other.
The Stephan Quintet system with its members continuously sliding close to each other. A recent slide has shaken the universe – (Photo: NASA).
This cosmic shaking event occurred within the Stephan Quintet, a group of five closely situated galaxies.
Recently, the largest galaxy among them, NGC 7318b, collided violently with the other four smaller galaxies, initiating a merger—or more precisely, the other four galaxies will be consumed by NGC 7318b.
This is a high-energy release event. The shock waves from the phenomenon were propelled at speeds of up to 3.2 million km/h.
“Essentially, this is a vast intergalactic debris field. The new intruder, NGC 7318b, has crashed into the debris field, compressing the plasma and gas within it,” explains astrophysicist Marina Arnaudova from the University of Hertfordshire to Live Science.
In doing so, NGC 7318b has energized the plasma, causing it to glow brilliantly at radio frequencies.
Although it may seem deadly and catastrophic, this event has actually promoted increased star formation in the merger region.
Named after the French astronomer Édouard Stephan, who discovered this galaxy group in the 19th century, Stephan’s Quintet is a group of five galaxies “locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters,” according to NASA.
This galaxy group has been observed using some of the most powerful space telescopes, including Hubble and James Webb, missions led by NASA.
Scientists hope this new discovery will unveil significant secrets about the intense evolutionary processes of our universe.
